Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

Provided is an air conditioner that suppresses power consumption by discharging resistors for discharging residual charges of a transmission path. An analog switch is previously interposed between two discharging resistors. In sending an AMI signal to two lines of a transmission path, an MCU executes discharge control to cause the analog switch to achieve an OFF state when a high level signal voltage is output, and to cause the analog switch to achieve an ON state when a low level signal voltage is output.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. In particular, thepresent invention relates to signal transmission between devicesstructuring the air conditioner.

BACKGROUND ART

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the overview of signal transmission in anair conditioner. In the figure, an indoor unit 1 performs signaltransmission between an outdoor unit 2 and a remote controller 3. Theindoor unit 1 and the remote controller 3 are connected to each othernormally with a transmission path 4 that includes two lines (e.g., adouble core cable). The indoor unit 1 and the remote controller 3 eachinclude a transmission unit T and a reception unit R, so that they canperform transmission and reception between each other. The power supplyfor the remote controller 3 is supplied from a power superimpositioncircuit 1 p provided at the indoor unit 1 via the transmission path 4.

FIG. 13 shows one example of a signal waveform according to AMI(Alternate Mark Inversion) scheme used for signal transmission. AMIscheme is one of the schemes that transmit digital signals throughhalf-duplex communication, in which a signal is transmitted by settingthe signal voltage without DC components between the two lines of thetransmission path to one of zero, plus, and minus. For example, in thecase of negative logic, logic 1 is allotted to zero, and logic 0 isalternately allotted to the level of plus or minus. Further, every timea 1-bit signal is transmitted, a period is provided for dischargingcharges accumulated in a floating capacitance (stray capacitance) thatis present between the two lines of the transmission path.

After the signal waveform of plus or minus is output, it is necessary toreturn the signal voltage to zero in preparation for the next signalwaveform. For example, there is no problem when the signal voltagereturns to zero within the discharging period as represented by thedotted line following the plus waveform shown in FIG. 13. However,actually, when the charges accumulated in the floating capacitance bythe signal voltage attributed to the output of the plus or minus signalwaveform are naturally discharged, as represented by the dotted linefollowing the minus waveform in FIG. 13, it takes time until the signalvoltage returns to zero. In this case, when the logic to be transmittedat the next clock timing is “1”, the transmission side does not outputany plus or minus signal voltage (zero output). Therefore, the minusvoltage attributed to the residual charges is sensed on the receptionside, which may incorrectly be recognized as logic “0”.

Accordingly, there is provided a circuit that forcibly discharges theresidual charges, which inhibit signal transmission, through use ofdischarging resistors connected between the two lines of thetransmission path (e.g., see Patent Literature 1). Such dischargingresistors can be provided in the indoor unit or in the remotecontroller.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    7-280328 (FIG. 10)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, with the conventional air conditioner as described above, everytime a signal is sent to the transmission path, current flows throughthe discharging resistors and consumes the power. This is the powerconsumption which is not related to the original purpose of discharge.By this amount, the required power supply capacity increases. Further,it is not preferable that the voltage (transmission voltage) is slightlyreduced by current flowing through the discharging resistor. Stillfurther, in the case where the discharging resistors are in the remotecontroller, the heat dissipation from the discharging resistorsincreases the temperature inside the housing of the remote controller.This causes the room temperature sensor provided in the remotecontroller to fail to accurately detect the room temperature.

In view of the above conventional problems, there is provided an airconditioner that suppresses power consumption by discharging resistorsfor discharging residual charges of a transmission path.

Solution to Problem

(1) The invention provides an air conditioner having devices being anoutdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a remote controller, the airconditioner performing signal transmission using a digital signalbetween the devices connected to each other through a transmission pathincluding two lines, including: a discharging resistor for dischargingcharges accumulated in a floating capacitance between the two lines; aswitching element that performs an ON operation to make the dischargingresistor connect between the two lines and an OFF operation to make thedischarging resistor disconnect; a control unit that executes dischargecontrol, during signal transmission in which one of a high level and alow level of an absolute value corresponding to a sign of the digitalsignal is set to a signal voltage between the two lines, to set theswitching element to an OFF state when the setting is at the high leveland to set the switching element to an ON state when the setting is atthe low level.

With the air conditioner structured as described above, by the controlunit executing the discharge control, the discharging resistor isconnected to the transmission path when the signal voltage set betweenthe two lines is at the low level, and the discharging resistor will notbe connected to the transmission path when the signal voltage setbetween the two lines is at the high level. Accordingly, it becomespossible to prevent the current from flowing through the dischargingresistor by the signal voltage of the digital signal.

(2) Further, in the air conditioner according to (1), the dischargingresistor may include a first discharging resistor having one endconnected to one of the two lines and a second discharging resistorhaving one end connected to the other of the two lines, and theswitching element may be a bidirectional element being interposedbetween the other end of the first discharging resistor and the otherend of the second discharging resistor.

With such a circuit configuration, since the discharging circuit isstructured such that the bidirectional switching element is interposedbetween the first and second discharging resistors, it is possible todischarge the accumulating charges by inverting the polarity, in thecase where the digital signal is coded according to AMI scheme. Further,at whichever one of the two lines the surge is induced, the voltage dropalways occurs via the resistors, and the surge voltage will not directlybe applied to the switching element. Accordingly, the switching elementcan be protected from the surge. Further, thanks to the presence of thetwo discharging resistors, the output terminal of the switching elementis at the intermediate voltage of the power supply voltage. Accordingly,the potential difference (gate-source voltage) with reference to thecontrol terminal can easily be secured.

(3) Further, in the air conditioner according to (2), cathodes of Zenerdiodes may be respectively connected to the two lines, and the switchingelement may be structured with a CMOS circuit, a current value of latchup withstand of the CMOS circuit being selected such that a potentialdifference being applied in respective positive and negative directionsto a power supply voltage Vcc and GND of the CMOS circuit becomesgreater than clamping voltages Vc⁺ and Vc⁻ of the Zener diode in therespective positive and negative directions, the potential differencebeing attributed to the current value flowing through the dischargingresistors.

In this case, when the current value of latch up withstand flows throughthe CMOS circuit, the current value is already greater than the clampingvoltage Vc⁺ or Vc⁻ of the Zener diodes. Therefore, in other words,before the current increases to reach the current value of latch upwithstand, the voltage of each line is suppressed to the clampingvoltage by each Zener diode. Accordingly, it becomes possible to surelyallow the Zener diodes to operate against a high surge voltage, and toprevent the occurrence of the latch-up phenomenon of the CMOS circuit.

(4) Further, in the air conditioner according to (1), the control unitmay execute the discharge control by a digital signal to be transmitted.

In this case, it is not necessary to separately prepare a signal for thedischarge control. Accordingly, without the necessity of drasticallychanging the existing design of the air conditioner, the function of thedischarge control can easily be realized by using the originallyexisting signal.

(5) Further, in the air conditioner according to any of (1) to (4), thedischarging resistor(s), the switching element, and the control unit maybe provided in the remote controller.

In this case, although the discharging resistor(s) is/are accommodatedin the compact housing of the remote controller, suppression of thecurrent flowing through the discharging resistor(s) also suppresses theheat generation amount of the discharging resistor(s) and the heatgeneration amount of the power supply circuit. Accordingly, in the casewhere a room temperature sensor is provided at the remote controller,the influence to the measurement can be reduced.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

With the air conditioner of the present invention, it becomes possibleto prevent current from flowing through the discharging resistor by thesignal voltage, and power consumption can be suppressed by the savedamount.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the state where, in connection withsignal transmission, an indoor unit and a remote controller areconnected to each other through a transmission path.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the detail of a transmission unitand others in the remote controller, and a floating capacitance betweentwo lines in the transmission path.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which the flow of current is overlaid on FIG. 2,showing the state where an MCU output signal is logic 0, an AMI signalis plus, and the line P1 side becomes, for example, plus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram in which the flow of current is overlaid on FIG. 2,showing the state where an MCU output signal is logic 0, an AMI signalis minus, and the line P2 side becomes, for example, plus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram in which the flow of current is overlaid on FIG. 2,showing the state where an MCU output signal is logic 1 and an AMIsignal is zero.

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram of each of: (a) an MCU output signal; (b)ON/OFF state of an analog switch S1; (c) a signal transmitted to atransmission path; and (d) a current that flows from the power supplyvoltage to the floating capacitance upon signal transmission, all ofwhich are based on the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 2; and (e)current that flows from the power supply voltage to the floatingcapacitance as in the conventional case where the discharging resistorsare constantly connected to the transmission path, shown for the purposeof comparison.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the connection of Zener diodes.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the overview of the characteristic of theZener diodes.

FIG. 9 is a diagram related to an air conditioner according to a secondembodiment, being a circuit diagram showing the detail of a transmissionunit and others in a remote controller, and a floating capacitancebetween two lines in a transmission path.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing the state where, in connection withsignal transmission of the air conditioner according to the secondembodiment, an indoor unit and a plurality of remote controllers areconnected to each other through transmission paths.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a transmission waveform and a dischargingresistor operation.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the overview of signal transmission in theair conditioner.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing one example of a signal waveform accordingto AMI scheme.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

In the following, with reference to the drawings, a description will begiven of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention. As has already been shown in FIG. 12, the whole airconditioner is structured with an indoor unit 1, an outdoor unit 2, anda remote controller 3, which are performing signal transmission betweeneach other. Further, the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 areconnected to each other through not-shown coolant piping. It is to benoted that FIG. 12 shows the basic form, and the number of each of thedevices, i.e., the indoor unit 1, the outdoor unit 2, and the remotecontroller 3, may be plural, when necessary. However, in connection withthe relationship between the indoor unit 1 and the remote controller 3,the description will be given of the case in which one remote controller3 is connected to one indoor unit 1, in the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the state where, in connection withsignal transmission, the indoor unit 1 and the remote controller 3 areconnected to each other through a transmission path 4 including twolines (e.g., a cable). In the figure, the indoor unit 1 is providedwith: a choke coil L for superimposing a power supply voltage Vcc (16 Vherein) on the transmission path 4; a transmission unit T that transmitsa digital signal (hereinafter referred to as an AMI signal) to theremote controller 3 according to AMI coding scheme; a reception unit Rthat receives an AMI signal from the remote controller 3; and capacitorsC1 to C4 that allow only transmission- and reception-purpose signals topass. Those components are connected as shown in the figure.

The power supply voltage Vcc is supplied to the remote controller 3 fromthe choke coil L through the transmission path 4. At the remotecontroller 3, through an incoming circuit 31 including a choke coil, arectifier smoothing circuit, and the like, and a stabilizing circuit 32structured with a three-terminal regulator, a power supply voltage Vcc(5 V herein) is generated. It is to be noted that, with the incomingcircuit 31 and the stabilizing circuit 32, the power supply circuit ofthe remote controller 3 is structured. The power supply voltage Vcc issupplied to all the electronic devices within the remote controller 3that require power supply.

What are provided in the remote controller 3 are: a transmission unit Tthat transmits an AMI signal to the indoor unit 1; a reception unit Rthat receives an AMI signal from the indoor unit 1; capacitors C11 toC14 that allow only transmission- and reception-purpose signals to pass;and a discharging circuit 33 (which will be detailed later). Thosecomponents are connected as shown in the figure. In the present example,the discharging circuit 33 is provided only in association with thetransmission unit T of the remote controller 3.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the detail of the transmission unitT and others in the remote controller 3, and a floating capacitance Csbetween two lines in the transmission path 4 (it is to be noted that,the right-left relationship is inverted from FIG. 1). In the figure, theMCU (Micro Control Unit) 30 instructs the transmission unit T whatbinary signal is to be transmitted. The transmission unit T has: fourtransistors Q1 to Q4; resistors R1 to R4 (whose resistance values arebasically equivalent) that are connected in parallel between thecollectors and emitters of the transistors Q1 to Q4; and a controller Tcthat turns the transistors Q1 to Q4 ON and OFF. The transmission unit Toperates to output an AMI signal of plus/minus/zero in accordance withthe binary signal instructed by the MCU 30. It is to be noted that, theMCU 30 controls not only the transmission unit T but also the receptionunit R (FIG. 1).

The discharging circuit 33 is structured with two discharging resistorsR5 and R6 whose resistance values are equivalent, and an analog switchS1 as a switching element. One end of the discharging resistor R5 isconnected to one line P1 of the transmission path 4 via the capacitorC13. Similarly, one end of the discharging resistor R6 is connected tothe other line P2 of the transmission path 4 via the capacitor C14.Further, the analog switch S1 is interposed between the other ends ofrespective discharging resistors R5 and R6, whereby the two dischargingresistors R5 and R6 and the analog switch S1 are connected to oneanother in series. The discharging resistors R5 and R6 provide theresistance value suitable for discharging by the total of two resistancevalues. The analog switch S1 is structured with a CMOS circuit(MOS-FET), and is a bidirectional element.

The terminals of the analog switch S1 between the two dischargingresistors R5 and R6 are [source]-[drain] Further, to the gate thereof, abinary signal output from the MCU 30 (hereinafter also referred to as anMCU output signal), that is, a transmitted signal, is provided. Theanalog switch S1 is connected to GND, and is supplied with power supplyvoltage Vcc.

Between the two lines P1 and P2 of the transmission path 4, the powersupply voltage Vcc (16 V) of the indoor unit 1 (FIG. 1) is constantlyapplied. The signal transmission is performed by setting high and lowlevels of the absolute values corresponding to the sign of the AMIsignal to the signal voltage between the two lines P1 and P2 of thetransmission path 4, based on 16 V. That is, the potential, potentialdifference, signal voltage of P1 and P2 corresponding to the sign of theAMI signal, and the setting level of the signal transmission based onthe absolute value irrespective of plus or minus are represented as inTable 1, for example. Further, the discharging period corresponds to thestate being identical to sign zero.

TABLE 1 P1 P2 Potential Signal Potential Potential difference voltageSign [V] [V] [V] [V] Level Plus 18.5 −2.5 21 +5 High Zero 16 0 16 0 LowMinus 13.5 2.5 11 −5 High

Further, a description will be given of the operation of the dischargingcircuit 33. FIGS. 3 to 5 are each a diagram in which the flow of currentis overlaid on FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows the state where an MCU output signalis logic 0, an AMI signal is plus and the line P1 side becomes, forexample, plus. In order to achieve this state, the controller Tc turnsthe transistors Q1 and Q4 ON and turns Q2 and Q3 OFF. At this time,current flows from the power supply voltage Vcc to GND via thetransistor Q1, the capacitor C13, the floating capacitance Cs, thecapacitor C14, and the transistor Q4. Accordingly, the transmission path4 enters the state of plus output shown in Table 1 in which P1 outputssignal voltage +5 V to P2. On the other hand, the analog switch S1 is inthe OFF state because the MCU output signal is 0. Accordingly, nocurrent flows through the discharging resistors R5 and R6.

FIG. 4 shows the state where the MCU output signal is logic 0, the AMIsignal is minus, and the line P2 side becomes, for example, plus. Inorder to achieve this state, the controller Tc turns the transistors Q2and Q3 ON, and turns Q1 and Q4 OFF. At this time, current flows from thepower supply voltage Vcc to GND via the transistor Q3, the capacitorC14, the floating capacitance Cs, the capacitor C13, and the transistorQ2. Accordingly, contrary to FIG. 3, the transmission path 4 enters thestate of minus output shown in Table 1 in which P2 outputs signalvoltage −5 V to P1. On the other hand, the analog switch S1 is in theOFF state because the MCU output signal is 0. Accordingly, no currentflows through the discharging resistors R5 and R6.

FIG. 5 shows the state where the MCU output signal is logic 1 and theAMI signal is zero. In order to achieve this state, the controller Tcturns all the transistors Q1 to Q4 OFF. On the other hand, since the MCUoutput signal is logic 1, the analog switch S1 enters the ON state. Whenthe floating capacitance Cs has no charges (i.e., the charges attributedto the signal voltage, and not the charges attributed to 16 V.Hereinafter the same holds true.), the potential of P1 and the potentialof P2 attributed to the power supply voltage Vcc become Vcc·R2/(R1+R2)and Vcc·R4/(R3+R4), respectively, and are equivalent since the divisionratio is identical. In this state, the signal voltage is 0, and the zerooutput state in Table 1 is achieved.

It is to be noted that, since the capacitors C13 and C14 cut off the DCcomponents, constant current will not flow through the dischargingresistors R5 and R6 by the DC voltage (16 V) supplied from the indoorunit 1 side to the transmission path 4.

On the other hand, when the charges following the plus output areaccumulated in the floating capacitance Cs, the charges flow through thecapacitor C13, the discharging resistor R5, the analog switch S1, thedischarging resistor R6, and the capacitor C14, and are discharged.Conversely, when the charges following the minus output are accumulatedin the floating capacitance Cs, the charges flow through the capacitorC14, the discharging resistor R6, the analog switch S1, the dischargingresistor R5, and the capacitor C13 (opposite to the direction shown inthe figure), and are discharged. It is to be noted that the resistancevalue of the discharging resistors R5 and R6 is selected such thatdischarge ends in a short time period within a clock cycle. Afterdischarge is completed, the state where the signal voltage between thetwo lines of the transmission path 4 is 0 is achieved.

FIG. 6 is one example of a waveform diagram showing each of: (a) an MCUoutput signal; (b) ON/OFF state of the analog switch S1; (c) a signaltransmitted to a transmission path; and (d) a current that flows fromthe power supply voltage Vcc to the floating capacitance Cs upon signaltransmission, all of which are based on the circuit configuration shownin FIG. 2. Further, (e) is one example of a waveform diagram showingcurrent flowing through the floating capacitance Cs attributed to thepower supply voltage Vcc as in the conventional case where thedischarging resistors are constantly connected to the transmission path4, shown for the purpose of comparison.

In FIG. 6, sign 0/1 of the MCU output signal and OFF/ON state of theanalog switch S1 are synchronized with each other. According to AMIcoding, a signal on the transmission path 4 inverts plus/minus everytime the MCU output signal assumes 0. When the MCU output is 1, thesignal is zero. Further, when a plus or minus signal voltage is outputto the transmission path 4, the analog switch S1 is turned OFF, and nocurrent flows through the discharging resistors R5 and R6.

At the moment when the signal voltage occurs at the transmission path 4,the charging current shown in (d) flows through the floating capacitanceCs. However, when charging is completed, the flow stops. Accordingly,the current flows only transiently, and the power consumption by thedischarging resistors R5 and R6 is very small. In contrast,conventionally, as shown in (e), in addition to the transient chargingcurrent, constant current I_(i) flows through the discharging resistorsby the signal voltage of the transmission path. Therefore, the powerconsumption is great, resulting in a great difference from (d).

As has been described above, with the air conditioner according to thepresent embodiment, during the signal transmission based on the settingof the high/low level of the absolute value corresponding to the sign ofan AMI signal to the signal voltage between the two lines P1 and P2, theMCU 30 being the control unit executes discharge control to turn theanalog switch S1 into the OFF state when the setting is at the highlevel and to turn the analog switch S1 into the ON state when thesetting is at the low level. Under such discharge control, thedischarging resistors R5 and R6 are connected to the transmission path 4when the signal voltage set by the AMI signal between the two lines P1and P2 is at the low level, and the discharging resistors R5 and R6 arenot connected to the transmission path 4 when the signal voltage set bythe AMI signal between the two lines P1 and P2 is at the high level.Accordingly, it becomes possible to prevent current from flowing throughthe discharging resistors R5 and R6 by the signal voltage of the AMIsignal, and power consumption can be suppressed by the saved amount.

Further, according to the circuit configuration described above, thereis provided the discharging circuit 33 in which the bidirectional analogswitch S1 is interposed between the two discharging resistors R5 and R6.Thus, the accumulating charges can be discharged by inverting thepolarity as to the AMI signal.

Further, the source of the analog switch S1 is at the intermediatevoltage of the power supply voltage Vcc, thanks to the presence of thetwo discharging resistors R5 and R6. Accordingly, the potentialdifference (the gate-source voltage) with reference to the gate caneasily be secured. When the gate-source voltage is fully secured, the ONresistance becomes small. Accordingly, heat generation is small andexcellent efficiency can be achieved.

For example, similar discharge control can be realized by replacing R5and R6 in the discharging circuit 33 by one resistor R7 (not shown)having the resistance value equivalent to the total resistance value ofR5 and R6, and connecting the analog switch S1 to the resistor R7 inseries. However, in this case, since the source voltage of the analogswitch S1 approaches Vcc, the gate-source voltage cannot be fullysecured even if the gate signal is provided with the voltage Vcc. Inthis state, the ON resistance becomes great and heat generation becomesgreat.

On the other hand, since the MCU 30 executes discharge control by thedigital signal to be transmitted, it is not necessary to separatelyprepare a signal for discharge control. Therefore, without drasticallychanging the design of the existing air conditioner, the function ofdischarge control can easily be realized using the originally existingsignal.

Further, although the discharging resistors R5 and R6 are accommodatedin the compact housing of the remote controller 3, the suppression ofcurrent suppresses the heat generation amount of the dischargingresistors and the heat generation amount of the power supply circuit aswell. Accordingly, in the case where a room temperature sensor isprovided to the remote controller 3, the influence to the measurementcan be reduced.

It is to be noted that the transmission path 4 is often arranged alongthe power line. In such a situation, surge may be induced at the twolines P1 and P2 of the transmission path 4 from the power line. Theanalog switch S1 is structured with the CMOS circuit, and generallysusceptible to the surge. However, since the resistors R5 and R6 areprovided at both the sides of the analog switch S1, respectively, thesurge voltage will not directly be applied to the analog switch S1. Thatis, even when the surge is induced at one of the two lines, the voltagedrop attributed to the resistors R5 and R6 always occurs, to alleviatethe surge voltage. Accordingly, the analog switch S1 can be protectedfrom the surge.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the Zener diodes D1 and D2 not shownin FIG. 2 (not shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 as well). That is, to theinterconnection point (the emitter of Q1 and the collector of Q2) of thetransistors Q1 and Q2 and the interconnection point (the emitter of Q3and the collector of Q4) of the transistors Q3 and Q4, the cathodes ofthe Zener diodes D1 and D2 are connected, respectively. Thus, even whenthe voltage greater than the clamping voltage of the Zener diodes D1 andD2 is applied to the two lines P1 and P2 of the transmission path 4, thevoltage is suppressed to the clamping voltage.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the overview of the common characteristic ofthe Zener diodes D1 and D2. The output voltage sent to the transmissionpath 4 for signal transmission falls within the range of GND to thepower supply voltage Vcc. For example, in the case where the plusvoltage is applied to the cathode of the Zener diode D1 connected to theP1 side, current does not flow when the voltage is equal to or smallerthan the clamping voltage Vc⁺; whereas the current flows when thevoltage is greater than the clamping voltage Vc⁺, and the cathode ismaintained at the clamping voltage Vc⁺.

Conversely, in the case where the minus voltage is applied to thecathode of the Zener diode D1, current does not flow when the absolutevalue is equal to or smaller than the clamping voltage Vc⁻; whereas thecurrent flows when the absolute value is greater than the clampingvoltage Vc⁻, and the cathode is maintained at the clamping voltage Vc⁻.The same holds true for the Zener diode D2. It is to be noted that,there are selected the Zener diodes whose clamping voltages Vc⁺ and Vc⁻are outside the output voltage range of GND to Vcc, such that no currentflows through the Zener diodes D1 and D2 in the output voltage range ofGND to Vcc.

On the other hand, the CMOS circuit structuring the analog switch S1 hasa small voltage tolerance (approximately +0.3 V to Vcc, and −0.3 V toGND). Accordingly, a latch-up phenomenon may be incurred unless the CMOScircuit is used within that range. Defining that the current of thelatch up withstand is I_(LUP), and provided that this current flowsthrough the analog switch S1, I_(LUP) also flows through the dischargingresistors R5 and R6 shown in FIG. 7, which invites voltage dropI_(LUP)×R where R is the resistance value of the discharging resistorsR5 and R6. Accordingly, voltages Vin⁺ and Vin⁻ that can be input to P1and P2 are as follows, respectively:Vin⁺ =Vcc+I _(LUP) ×RVin⁻ =GND−I _(LUP) ×R

Therefore, the CMOS circuit having the value of I_(LUP) with which theabove-stated Vin⁺ and Vin⁻ do not fall within the range of Vc⁻ to Vc⁺ asshown in FIG. 8 is selected. Thus, if the voltage that is greater thanVc⁺ occurs because of surge, then the voltage reduces to Vc⁺ by theoperation of the Zener diode D1 or D2. Further, when the voltage that isgreater than Vc⁻ in the minus direction occurs because of surge, thevoltage is suppressed to Vc⁻ by the operation of the Zener diode D1 orD2. Suppressing the voltage to fall within the range of Vc⁻ to Vc⁺, ashas been described, by the voltage drop of the discharging resistors R5and R6, the voltage applied to the analog switch S1 can be alleviated.Thus, by the Zener diodes D1 and D2, the analog switch S1 can beprotected.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 9 is a diagram related to an air conditioner according to a secondembodiment, being a circuit diagram showing the detail of thetransmission unit T and others in the remote controller 3, and thefloating capacitance Cs between two lines in the transmission path 4.The difference from FIG. 2 lies in that the control signal from the MCU30 to the analog switch S1 is a signal that is different from thetransmitted signal for instructing the controller Tc. The otherstructure remains the same.

Although the first embodiment is predicated that the indoor unit 1 andthe remote controller 3 are in one-to-one relationship, in the secondembodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that a plurality ofremote controllers 3 are connected in parallel to one indoor unit 1. Inthis case, the discharging circuit 33 is provided to each of the remotecontrollers 3. In the state where a plurality of remote controllers 3are connected in parallel, when the discharge control according to thefirst embodiment is executed, the remote controller that performstransmission disconnects the discharging resistors when causing a highlevel signal voltage between the two lines P1 and P2 of the transmissionpath 4 through signal transmission; whereas the other remote controllerthat does not perform transmission is connecting the dischargingresistors between the two lines of the transmission path, because thereis no instruction to disconnect the discharging resistor.

However, in this case also, by the remote controller performingtransmission disconnecting the discharging resistor, the overallparallel resistance becomes greater as compared to the case wheredisconnection is not performed and, therefore, a certain power savingeffect can be achieved. However, when the number of the remotecontrollers connected in parallel increases, disconnection of one of thedischarging resistors can only provide relatively smaller effect to theoverall parallel resistance, and hence the power saving effect weakens.Further, the impedance of the overall transmission path reduces.Therefore, the amplitude of a signal reduces with a long transmissionpath.

In consideration of the foregoing, in the second embodiment, in all theremote controllers 3 and the indoor unit 1 connected to the transmissionpath 4, their respective discharging resistors are basically previouslydisconnected. Then, only the device that performs transmission executescontrol as in the first embodiment as to whether to connect ordisconnect the discharging resistors in accordance with the signal to betransmitted. That is, in FIG. 9, the control signal provided from theMCU 30 to the analog switch S1 is identical to the signal provided tothe controller Tc when the remote controller 3 performs transmission;whereas the control signal is a signal that turns the analog switch S1OFF when the remote controller 3 does not perform transmission. In thisregard, the signal is different from the signal that is provided to thecontroller Tc.

Thus, as seen from the transmitting remote controller 3 or the indoorunit 1, the state equivalent to the state where no discharging resistorsare present at the reception end is achieved. Accordingly, whicheverdevice performs transmission, the power consumption by the dischargingresistors can be prevented, and the attenuation of the signal can besuppressed. As a result, it becomes possible to achieve a furtherincrease in the transmission path or an increase in the number of theremote controllers that can be connected.

Further, according to the second embodiment, even when a plurality ofremote controllers 3 are connected to the transmission path 4, thedischarging resistors in their respective remote controllers 3 arealways disconnected except for the timing where their respective devicesperform transmission. Accordingly, the load on the power supply does notincrease.

It is to be noted that, the transmitting device may immediatelydisconnect its own discharging resistors at the end of the transmissionperiod. However, it involves a disadvantage that noises tend to besuperimposed when the impedance becomes high because of disconnection.Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, by causing the remotecontroller that performed transmission to extend the time during whichthe discharging resistors are connected for a prescribed time from thetransmission period, the state where noises are not easily superimposedcan be achieved. Further, the extension is terminated slightly beforethe next transmission period starts.

Others

It is to be noted that, in each of the embodiments described above, thedescription has chiefly been given of signal transmission between theindoor unit 1 and the remote controller 3. However, the dischargecontrol as described above can be executed in other cases in whichsignal transmission is performed between devices of various combinationsconnected to each other through the transmission path. For example, thedischarge control can be executed between the outdoor unit and theremote controller, or between a plurality of remote controllers.Further, in the case where the circuit that turns the dischargingresistors ON and OFF and the discharge control function thereof areprovided to each of the devices instead of the remote controller,similar discharge control can be executed between the outdoor unit andthe indoor unit, between a plurality of outdoor units, and between aplurality of indoor units.

Further, although the transmission path in the embodiments describedabove involves two lines, the discharge control can similarly beexecuted between any two lines out of three or more lines.

Still further, although AMI scheme is employed as the coding scheme inthe embodiments described above, similar discharge control can beexecuted as to transmission of digital signals according to otherschemes.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1: INDOOR UNIT    -   2: OUTDOOR UNIT    -   3: REMOTE CONTROLLER    -   4: TRANSMISSION PATH    -   30: MCU (CONTROL UNIT)    -   D1, D2: ZENER DIODE    -   P1, P2: LINES OF TRANSMISSION PATH (TWO LINES)    -   R5, R6: DISCHARGING RESISTORS    -   S1: ANALOG SWITCH (SWITCHING ELEMENT)

The invention claimed is:
 1. An air conditioner having devices of anoutdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a remote controller, the airconditioner performing signal transmission using a digital signalbetween the devices connected to each other through a transmission pathincluding two lines, comprising: a discharging resistor for discharginga charge accumulated in a floating capacitance between the two lines; aswitching element that performs an ON operation to make the dischargingresistor connect between the two lines and an OFF operation to make thedischarging resistor disconnect; a control unit that executes dischargecontrol, during signal transmission in which one of a high level and alow level of an absolute value corresponding to a sign of the digitalsignal is set to a signal voltage between the two lines, to set theswitching element to an OFF state when the setting is at the high leveland to set the switching element to an ON state when the setting is atthe low level.
 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein thedischarging resistor includes a first discharging resistor having oneend connected to one of the two lines and a second discharging resistorhaving one end connected to the other of the two lines, and theswitching element is a bidirectional element being interposed betweenthe other end of the first discharging resistor and the other end of thesecond discharging resistor.
 3. The air conditioner according to claim2, wherein cathodes of Zener diodes are respectively connected to thetwo lines, and the switching element is structured with a CMOS circuit,a current value of latch up withstand of the CMOS circuit being selectedsuch that a potential difference being applied in respective positiveand negative directions to a power supply voltage Vcc and GND of theCMOS circuit becomes greater than clamping voltages Vc⁺ and Vc⁻ of theZener diode in the respective positive and negative directions, thepotential difference being attributed to the current value flowingthrough the discharging resistors.
 4. The air conditioner according toclaim 1, wherein the control unit executes the discharge control by adigital signal to be transmitted.
 5. The air conditioner according toclaim 1, wherein the discharging resistor, the switching element, andthe control unit are provided in the remote controller.
 6. The airconditioner according to claim 2, wherein the discharging resistors, theswitching element, and the control unit are provided in the remotecontroller.
 7. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein thedischarging resistors, the switching element, and the control unit areprovided in the remote controller.
 8. The air conditioner according toclaim 4, wherein the discharging resistor, the switching element, andthe control unit are provided in the remote controller.